Retrievable wire line bridge plug



C. E. STROM RETRIEVABLE WIRE LINE BRIDGE PLUG Filed May 24, 1939 H15 ATTORNEY.

March 19,1940.

76 a2 Q A A xxx x\\\\ \MJ\\M\VA 2 a 33Dm v M w 3% 8 2 M I Patented Mar. 19,

UNITED STATES PATENT oFFIce 2,194,331 -RETRIEVABLE WIRE LINE BRIDGE PLUG Carl E. Strom, South Gate, Calif. Application May 24, 1939, Serial No. 275,407

8 Claims.

This invention relates to devices used for facilitating work in deep wells, particularly, facilitating work against frequently experienced difliculwill operate with, or by, or independently of any 15 operating medium in awell.

Another object is to provide an apparatus that can be prepared for predetermined operations in the well before the apparatus is lowered into the well.

20 Another object is to make equipment used in a well more reliable regardless of conditions in the well.

Another object is to make equipment effective while in the. well and easily retrievable when 26 not further required in the well.

Other objects will appear from the following description and appended claims as well as from the accompanying drawing, inwhich- Fig. 1 is a fragmentary longitudinal midsec 30 tional view of a device designed to operate according to the present invention, shown in a portion of well casing,--a portion of the device being shown uncut, to show the outside appearance. v

Fig 2 is a cross section on line 2-2 of Fig. l. 35 Fig. 3 is a cross section on line 3-3.0f Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a slightly modified form of operatingforce-holding parts in a fragmentary illustration of somewhat reduced scale. Fig. 5 is a fragmentary detail illustration of a 40 temporary shut-ofl-means for theoperating conduits in cases of cementing below the device.

All sorts of equipment and tools are used in wells for all sorts of purposes, and many of such things must operate at a considerable distance 45 away from, and absolutely out of sight or proper observation of the operator.

On the other hand, though science may have given information enabling an operator to cope with various conditions in a well. there are never- 50 theless still uncertain factors encountered against 56. On the other hand, such forces are more generally only obstructive to an operator and his equipment. I

The obstructive forces are at times so great that it becomes necessary to shut off such forces at suitable levels, to enable the operator to advance 5 properly with his work below or above-such levels.

At times it becomes necessary to cement oil a certain individual stratum, in order to shut off water or other mediums that may interfere later on with other operations. .In such a case it is merely a matter of getting the proper cementing medium to that particular stratum, letting the medium hardenatq then continue with drilling or other operation through the medium.

At other times, however, it is desirable to merely 15 hold off any matter below a certain level, or stratum, in order to allow for a proper operation of certain work above such level without any cementing, that would naturally have required extra work after the said operation has been accomplished satisfactory, after'which a further downward operation might be desirable or required.

The present invention provides for either possibilities with equally eflicient assurances towards 26 desirable success.

As illustrated in Fig. 1, equipment of the type referred to is generally applied through a wellcasing, as indicated at I I.

In this illustration, however, the device is par- 30 ticularly designed to preferably operate as a bridge-plug only, for and in cases where work above the bridge is to be done under the protection of the bridge-plug.

In such a case, any matter below the level at which work is to be done isjust naturally to be shut off, and consequently it is notparticularly practical to make use of the force of such matter for any operating purposes.

As a' rule, an operating force is in such cases 40 applied from the surface level, through the well casing ii, to act upon any insertedequipment.

With the present invention, an operating'force is preferably provided right within the equipment.

At shallow depth, and in cases where no particular danger is involved, such an operating force may be provided by carbide-gas, or acetylene, taking proper care that excessive pressure is allowed to escape by suitable safety-valves, such a possibility being roughly outlined in Fig. 4. The container I2 is for that purpose designed to hold the carbide. A-valve l3 opens access of water to the carbide and at the same time permits the developed gas to escape towards any co-operatively connected equipment, as will be described later- 86 a container operating equipment is provided with an inlet valve l6 for water to enter the housing l5 and the carbide-container I2, the apertures l1 serving as communication between the container and the equipment-housing.

In some cases, compressedair may be sumcient and desirable to operate through a mechanism illustrated in Fig. 4. v

At greater depth, and under generally dangerous conditions of deep well, particularly, oil-wells, other means should preferably be provided.

Not saying that other mediums could not be used, nor that science may develop more suitable means, a hydrogen-methane-ethane-gas may be found quite suitable for the purpose to operate a device as illustrated in Fig. 1.

Hydrogen (H), methane (CH4) v and ethane (CzHs), will provide a suitably high pressureof 5000 pounds, or more, to operate against generally encountered pressures in a well,

Such a pressure forcemay well be stored in Ha, disposed within the central tubing, or' housing '59. of an equipment that maybe useful for various purposes in a well, such as tube-cutting,reaming, or cementing. A control-valve I35 extends upwardly, to be actuated 'by a so-called go-devil, as indicated at I8, slidingly disposed over the well-tool wire-line l9. At the proper moment, when the equipment is at the desired level and under the proper condition, thego-devil may be released to descend along the wire-line to act on the control-valve '3 01 '35.-

Once the control-valve l3 or I31. is released, gas will escape from the container l2 or 2B,.

'In Fig. 4, the control-valve I3 is merely provided with the reduced portions 20, to move sufiiciently for opening the container for the escape of gas; while, in Fig. l, the control-valve I38 is provided with well-defined valve-portions l3 to seat upon similarly, or correspondingly well-defined seats 2| on the container I25.

Though it may be found most practical to have the container in form of an independent part. merely inserted into the equipment, in conjunction with which it is to be used; but, it should be understood that a pressure-holding chamber may readily be provided directly in the equipment, as a cavity worked, or machined into the equipment. The retrievable wire line bridge plug is provided with a lower-end closing cap 22, and an upper-end handling cap 23, be-

tween which the container. '28 is firmly held by means of the spider-webbed insertions 24 and As illustrated, while the upper spider 25 is below the upper handling-cap 23, the spider is .into a well by means of operating tubing, the

handling takes considerable time and labor inasmuch as additional lengths of tubing have often [and repeatedly to be attached before any equipj mfent 'reaches the operating level, and then it pt akes'just about as long until all the tubings wire-line is so muchmore desirablefor many reasons, and any equipment, provided with means of the present invention can be handled by wireline.

When such equipment, or tool, is brought to the point of operation, a suitably applied jerk will shear off the pin 21 after which the wire-line can .quickly be withdrawn from the well, leaving the equipment in the well at the point of operation.

Particularly, a bridge-plug of the type illustrated in Fig. 1 can be lowered to the point of operation by the wirealine, then set by the operation of the control-valve as described herebefore, to remain in the well until to be removed.

When the pressure medium escapesfrom the container, it passes through the conduits 28 to act on the plungers 29 which, in turn, act on the packing material 30 until the packing material expands to the point of wedglng itself against I the inside wall of the well-casing H, theembedded metal-pieces 33 helping to securely engage the whole device withinthe well-casing, while the ratchet rings 3| engage with the threads 32 on the tubing I53, the ratchet-rings being of spring material and split for expanding sufliciently to pass over the threads while the plungers move to compressing position.

Naturally, an operator would wait a suitable length of time after having sent' the go-devil" down, to allow for a proper operation of the packing material and wedges to firmly and securely engage with the well casing, before shearing the wire-line, by means oi' the'shear-pin 2 from the placed bridge-plug.

After the bridge-plughas' so been placed, and the wire-line been removed from the well, any work contemplated above the plug in the well may then be done. h

After the work has been done, a working tubing may be lowered into the well until the tubing engages with the threads 34 in the upper end of the handling-cap 23 and, by a simple righthand turn of the working tubing, the spring ratchet-rings 3| can be screwed along the threads 32 until the bridge-plug has been disengaged from the well-casing II, when the whole bridge-plug may be withdrawn from the well in the wellknown manner of withdrawing well-tools. The threads 82 on the lower and upper ends of the tubing lea, of course, are left and righthand, so that the right-hand turning of the working tubing, attached to the upper threads 34 of the cap 23, will operate in such a manner that the spring ratchet-rings 3! on the opposite sides and ends of the packing will properly unscrew, meaning that the lower ring would preferably be of left-handthreads and the upper ring would preferably be of right-hand threads.

In cases where any pressure medium existing in a well is utilized, particularly, where cementing material or the like is to be passed through the central tubing I5 (I55), a sleeve-closure 36 is preferably provided, to close the conduits 28 after the packing and wedges have been set properly and before the cementing material or the like is allowed to pass through the tubing, in order to prevent such material from entering such conduits, or from entering the spaces behind the plungers 29, in orderto assure a free operation of the plungers during the retrieving operation. This arrangement is roughly outlinedin Fig. 5.

In order to eliminate, or avoid, any over-strong impingingof the packing material-and wedges upon theicentral tubing, a loosesleeve 35 is turnablyf'nsertedbetween the central tubing l5 U58) an he packing material, softhat-a retrieving maybe' more readily accomplished without any great frictional resistanceFThissleeve, of course, must be split, to facilitate placing this sleeve into the recess in the tubingas; illustrated. However, after having been-placedinthat recess, thesplit sleeve. is preferably? welded, or united, again into a solid ringsle" e in order to prevent a crushing by the packin 1 Thespring ratchet-rings, on the other hand, remain split in order to be able to expand'during the compressing operation of the packing parts. In packed and compressed position, the spring rings are prevented from snapping oil the threads 32 by thebeveled edges 31, engaging with the beveled recess in such a manner as to be forced into engagement with the-threads. The spacing posed in the center-tube, communications between the inside of. the center-tube and the pressure-receiving means, and means for releasing the pressure medium from said container to pass by way of the communications into the pressure-receiving means foractuating the wedges so as to expand th'e sealing member outwardly against the inner walls of. a well into which the device may be inserted;

,2. -In a device of the class described, a centertube,'a container holding a pressure medium within the passage of the center-tube, communications from the inside of the center-tube outwardly, a cylinder at the outer termination of said communications, wedges slidably mounted on the center-tube including portions movable I in the cylinder, resilient sealing member's oooperatively attachedto the wedges, and means for releasing the pressure medium from the container against said portions of the wedges to act-on the resilient sealing members.

3. In a device of the class described, a structure comprising a central compartment and outer cylinders with communications between the central compartment and the cylinders, a pressure medium in thecompartment, means for releasing the medium into the cylinders, wedges axially slidable over the structure with portions extending into the cylinders and adapted to be actuated by the pressure medium, and sealing means operatively engaged by the wedges for engaging with the side walls of a well when the pressure medium so actuates the wedges.

- 4. In a device of the class described, a structure comprising a compartment and outer cylindei's with communications between the compartmentand the cylinders, a pressure medium held against escape within the compartment, means for releasing the medium into the cylinders, wedges slidable on the structure with portions extending into the cylinders and adapted to be actuated by escaped and released pressure medium, a packing means operative by the wedges for engaging with the side walls of and setting and holding the device at desired points in a well, and means for releasably lowering the device into the well.

5. In a device of the class described, a structure comprising a compartment and separate cylinder portions with communications between the compartment and the cylinder portions, a pressure medium-held against escape within the compartment, means for releasing the medium into the cylinder portions, wedges in operative relation to the cylinders, a packing means operative by the wedges and adapted to engage with the side walls of and for setting'the device at desired points in a well, and means for locking the device in such set position.

6. In a device of the class described, a structure comprising a compartment and separate cylinders with communications between the compartment and the cylinders, a pressure medium held against escape within the compartment, means for releasing the medium into the cylinders, wedges in operative relation to the cylinders, a packing means operative by the wedges and adapted to engage with the side walls of and for setting the device atdesired points in a well, means for locking the device in such set position, and means for releasing the device from such set position.

7. In a device of the class described, a structure comprising a compartment and separate cylinders with communications between the compartment and the cylinders, a pressure medium held against escape within the compartment, means for'releasing the medium into the cylinders, wedges in operative relation to the cylinders, a packing means operative by the wedges and adapted to engage with the side walls of and to set the device at desired points in a well, and means for detachably lowering the device by wireline into the well.

8. In a device of the class described, a structure comprising a compartment and separate cylinders with communications between the com-- partment and cylinders, a pressure medium held against escape within the compartment, means for releasing the medium into the cylinders, wedges in operative relation to the cylinders, a packing means operative by the wedges and adapted to engage with the side walls of and to set the device at desired points in a well, means for locking the device in such set position, means for releasing the device from such set position, means for detachably lowering the device into a well, and means for engaging the device to a working tubing for removing the device from the well.

CARL E. STROM. 

